Live Strong Die Hard

Well after enduring the self induced pain and discomfort the other night which Alex described, I had to make a few minor life style adjustments.  Yesterday was filled with quite a bit of driving, a meeting with our transplant physician, a little nap and some much needed rest demanded by Alex.

The meeting with Dr. Vance went extremely well.  A little background on him with his schooling and experience is to follow.  Received his MD, Intern and Residency from John’s Hopkins in Balimore MD, fellowship at Harvard medical School, Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Boston Mass, and Harvard MIT Health Science.  Has spent the past 20 years focused on transplants with blood cancers and saving lives.  Needless to say the institutions above set the frame work for his exceptional caliber and performance.

To say Alex was ahead of the ball game, having completed extensive research way ahead, would be an understatement.  Even with Dr. Vance’s experience and 20 lb brain we, or I should say, Alex, knew the road map before he even began to talk.

Bottom line is we are continuing with the plan at hand with one to two more chemo treatments on current course, then stem cell harvesting coupled with extraction followed by high dose chemo ending with rescue plan including transplantation of my harvested stem cells to ensure my recovery.

My current chemo course, if two more treatments are realized, would take me through to mid to late July.  Each treatment is 4-5 days long with 2 weeks recovery to ensure my blood levels return to normal.  I.E. My body can fight off basic infections and sicknesses.  Once I’m deemed cancer free there will be a 4 week period where I focus on recovery, so lots of golf and gym timeJ!! 

Once this four week time frame is up I will start the 6-8 day process of stem cell generation and harvetsing.  After completion I will be admitted for the 7 day chemo onslaught which is suppose to wipe out my entire immune system and bone marrow then they “rescue” me  with the stem cell transplant.  From there it will be all about recovery and ensuring my body accepts the genome cocktail.

My interaction with Dr. Vance as I said was uplifting, calming and comforting all due to his professionalism and my perception that he was actually practicing medicine.  As an individual who works in the medical industry, I see firsthand the healthcare system and how many doctors are focused on anything but their patients welfare and quality of life.  It sounds jaded and negative, but it’s what I’ve witnessed on a personal account.  It was pleasant to see a physician who truly cared  about his patient, took more than ample time to discuss down to the minute detail of the plan ahead and who appeared sincere in his approach. 

I owe this great opportunity to my love, Alex, for having, garnering and ensuring the best physicians for my case.   I’m a lucky man to have a woman that loves me for me.  I know a lot of you are saying, Andy, yes you are right!:)

So I have a plan that is as concrete as it can get and for a man like me that is simply what I desire and need at this point.  I’ve been here before, understand the effects I will face/have to endure, and maintain a strong foundation laid to embark on the journey.

I appreciate all of your thoughts, prayers and well wishes and I look for them to assist with my fight in the coming months. 

I received a present from one of my best friends from college, John Frangakis, aka Zazziki, a nickname given to him for his Greek heritageJ and his fiancé Niki.  It was a cookie cake with the icing inscription you see in the attached picture.  I love it, as will you, for his acceptance of my philosophy and current state of mind.  The delivery girl was extremely embarrassed upon delivery and we all understand why.

Love to those that know me for me.

Live Strong Die Hard,

I've always been a fan of Darwinism and his concept of natural selection coupled with survival of the fittest.  I do believe and respect the caring for the unfortunate and those unable to protect or provide for themselves out of their control, however I loathe sloth and laziness.  I received this today from my beloved Alex and was pleasantly pleased as well as filled with laughter:) 

Andy